The Word of Grace Devotion for the Week of September 28, 2015Do Not Be Shaken2 Thessalonians 2:1-2, “Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.”Beloved, we do not know when Christ will return. Scripture tells us so, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only,” (Matthew 24:36). But like the Thessalonians of the early first century, there are many claiming the soon return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ causing some to be “quickly shaken in mind or alarmed.” So what are we to do?First, we are to be watching for Him. "Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching" (Luke 12:37 NKJV).Second, we must live as though Jesus were returning soon. I realize that this may sound alarmist but the truth is that while we do not know when Jesus is coming, we do know that He is coming. He will be coming first for the church in the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). He will come again in judgment (Revelation 19:11-21). Matthew 25:13 says, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”Third, we should take each day to practice righteousness and become more and more like Jesus Christ. 1 John 3:7 says, “Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.”Fourthly, we should expect His soon return, Maranatha, as Revelation 22:20 says, “He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!Finally, the Lord should find us busy doing His will. Luke 12:43 says, “Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.” I love the manner in which 1 Peter 4:7-10 puts this, “The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.8Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.”Beloved, Jesus is coming soon. Don’t be shaken or alarmed. Continue to Love Him and Serve others through Him and you will be ready for Him!I pray that you will have a blessed week! I love you and I will be praying for you!

The Word of Grace for the Week of September 21, 2015HumilityDaniel 4:37, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.”Beloved, humility is a tough subject. It is difficult to be humble. Yet, we have a great example in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who being God, humbled Himself to become a man and gave Himself as a sacrifice for others. Humility is others centered and not self-centered. Beloved, we need humility to enter into all areas of our lives.Humility is being free from pride and arrogance. You know that in your flesh you are inadequate, yet you also know who you are in Christ. Godly humility is being comfortable with who you are in the Lord and therefore putting others first. The picture of humility in the Bible is one of a strong person who loves others, not someone who is a wimp.If you do not believe that you need humility, King Nebuchadnezzar is a prime example of a man being humbled. He was King over a large area of the ancient world that had built a large statue to him. He thought that he had did it all himself when he proclaimed in Daniel4:30, “And the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?”It was here when God intervened and humbled King Nebuchadnezzar. Of his humiliation Daniel 4:33 says, “Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails were like birds' claws.”Beloved instead of being humbled by God we should humble ourselves. James4:6 says, “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Also 1 Peter 5:5 says, “Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”Beloved, humility will save you and your family from all kinds of destructions and invites God’s grace. Once you become proud, your family life, your job, and even your life, is destroyed! When you humble yourself, you invite God’s grace and blessing, but the proud man destroys and damages everyone around him. Beloved, humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up!I pray that you will have a blessed week. I love you and I will be praying for you!

The Word of Grace Devotion for the Week of September 14, 2015When God RemembersRevelation 18:5- “For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.”Beloved, there are times that we want God to remember and He does!Genesis 8:1- “But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided.”Genesis 30:22- “Then God remembered Rachel, and God gave heed to her and opened her womb.”But there are also times when we do not want Him to Remember. We do not want Him to remember our sins anymore! Unfortunately there is a time when He does remember iniquities.In Revelation 18 we have the account of Babylon the Great brought before the Lord in Judgment as Revelation 18:5 says, “For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.” The reason that God remembered her sins was because she never repented.Beloved, if we find ourselves in sin we are to leave in haste as Revelation 18:4 says, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues.”We do this initially, when we ask Christ into our heart. Because of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, our sins are forgiven and God does not remember our sin anymore.Isaiah 43:25- “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.”Hebrews 10:14-18, “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. 15And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, 16“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” 17then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” 18Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.”However, even as a Christian we need to continually confess our sins as 1John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”Beloved, I desire that God remember me as a faithful servant and not as an unrepentant sinner! When I confess my sins, He remembers them no more!I pray that you will have a blessed week! I love you and I will be praying for you!In Christ,Pastor Joe

The Word of Grace Devotion for The Week of September 7, 2015The Two WitnessesRevelation 11:3- “And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”Beloved, like the two witnesses found in Revelation 11, we also have been called to witness to others. The Greek word for witnesses is “martys,” from which we get our word, “martyr.” Originally it simply meant a witness but can also mean, “those who after His example have proved the strength and genuineness of their faith in Christ by undergoing a violent death.”Beloved, while the Lord may not call us to a violent death, He has called us to be a witness for Christ? So how can we fulfill this calling?First, we need to remember that the THEME of our witness is Jesus Christ. Paul defined the Gospel as the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, 1Corinthians 15:1-4. If we are not explaining the sacrifice of Christ, then we are not really sharing the gospel. (Romans 10:9-10.) An important part of this theme is the fact that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation, not just one of many ways. “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).Secondly we need to understand that we have been empowered to witness for Christ. The Holy Spirit empowers us as stated in Acts 1:8.As we witness, we should spend much time in prayer, appropriating the Spirit’s power so that we are enabled to let our light shine in such a way that others will recognize the power of God in us (Matthew 5:16).Thirdly the VALIDITY of our witness will be shown in how we live our lives. Beloved, the effective Christian witness will live his/her life above reproach in the power of the Holy Spirit, whose fruit we exhibit when we remain in Christ (John15:1-8,Galatians5:22-23).Finally, we must be familiar with the Scriptures to accurately and logically present the gospel to others. 1 Peter 3:15says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have”. Always being prepared means diligent Bible study, memorizing Scripture, and praying for opportunities to share with those the Lord has prepared to hear His message of salvation.Beloved, we may not be called to a violent death but we have all been called to be a witness for Christ. May we fulfill our calling in Christ!I pray that you will have a blessed week. I love you and I will be praying for you!In Christ,Pastor Joe

Pastor's Pen

Senior PastorJoe Marquez

Beloved, we are soon to once again celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the human Son of man and the divine Son of God. He is one hundred percent human and one hundred percent God.

While there were many people instrumental in the birth of Christ, this morning we will look at His birth through the eyes of Joseph, His legal father. There is not too much known about the man who would care for Christ as He grew up. We know that Joseph was possibly a carpenter but most importantly we know that he was a righteous man who did the right thing.

When others would have ran away from a responsibility that was not even their own, Joseph stood steadfast and remained faithful to the end. We can learn much from his character and apply his attributes of faithfulness, purity, and perseverance to our own lives.

May you have a Blessed Christmas week and may Christ always be at the center of your lives!

P.S. Come back this evening as we look at the birth of Christ through the Gospel of Luke!